‘Statement’ campaign by Dravidian majors

Days after Chief Minister and AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa appealed to people to vote for her party in three constituencies in Tamil Nadu and a lone seat in Puducherry, top ministers and ruling party men are now banking on her appeal by distributing copies of it to woo voters. Led by Finance Minister and AIADMK treasurer O Panneerselvam, AIADMK functionaries are distributing photocopies of Jayalalithaa’s November 13 statement to people in the poll-bound constituencies to seek votes for their party as campaign draws to a close on Thursday. 

Polls to Thanjavur, Aravakurichi and by-poll for Tiruparankundram constituencies are slated to be held on November 19. Jayalalithaa, for the first time since she was admitted to hospital on September 22, had urged people to give their “love and support to AIADMK in the present polls as well, remembering such innumerable schemes to enhance the people’s standard of living.”

While campaigning at Tiruparankundram, Panneerselvam, distributing copies of Jayalalithaa’s appeal, said people overwhelmingly supported the AIADMK chief and “because of her influence, DMK’s (poll) camps are going empty.” Listing the welfare schemes, he said a whopping Rs 68,211 crore was set apart for welfare schemes and subsidies alone in the State’s tax free budget. “All over India, no other government has allocated so much funds for the people (their welfare),” he claimed. A total of 1.91 crore families get 20 kg rice for free ensuring food security in Tamil Nadu. 

Annually, 1.67 crore women and 1.65 crore men get free sarees or dhotis, he said. Panneerselvam, now incharge of portfolios previously held by Jayalalithaa, spoke on the 8 gram free gold for women beneficiaries under ‘Thallikku Thangam (Mangalsutra) scheme, saying in the past five years, 7,72,643 women have benefitted. Besides Panneerselvam, all ministers and senior functionaries are actively campaigning in the constituencies. Meanwhile, the DMK chief in a statement released on Wednesday said he could not visit the poll-bound Assembly seats due to his health and appealed to voters in these constituencies to elect his party’s candidates in the respective segments. His son Stalin was leading the party’s charge in all three constituencies, Karunanidhi added.

DMK treasurer and Opposition leader M K Stalin who campaigned here on Wednesday for the party’s Thanjavur Assembly constituency candidate Anjugam Boopathy, criticised the AIADMK government for keeping silent on demonetisation move by Centre and being “unfriendly to farmers”.

Claiming that all other states have been working out ways to tackle the currency shortage prevailing across the country to reduce the people’s struggle post demonetisation of high denomination notes, he said the state government was completely unbothered of hardships people were going through. Welcoming the Centre’s announcement on demonetisation, Stalin, however, said such steps should not affect the common man. “Modi initially promised to bring back the black money hoarded abroad and deposit Rs 15 lakh to each citizen’s account, but had not stood by his words. Similarly, by marking ink on the person who withdraw the money, Modi had mocked at the people and questioned their dignity,” Stalin said. Stalin said that the delta farmers have been facing untold misery due to shortage of water, “which has already cost nine lives of farmers”. “But the state government had neither condoled the death nor announced any compensation so far,” Stalin charged. 

Claiming that such situation had not prevailed when M Karunanidhi was the Chief Minister of the state, Stalin said that farmers did not have to struggle for water then. “The Centre has betrayed Tamil Nadu and the farmers here by disobeying the order of Apex court and the state government has aligned with the Centre, he alleged and added that results of elections in the three constituencies should be a lesson to both Centre and state governments. Claiming that DMK was always farmer-friendly, he highlighted the demonstration led by DMK in Thanjavur over the Cauvery issue. “DMK had organised an all-party meeting, passed a series of resolutions and made the Centre to know the situation prevailing in the state,” he said.

Cops attached to the Tamil University police station here on Wednesday arrested an AIADMK functionary from Tiruchy reportedly for attempting to distribute cash to the voters.

According to sources, a flying squad led by the official Senthilkumar, acting on a tip-off, rushed to Chozhan Nagar in Pillyarpatti and secured a man identified as P Irulan (35) and seized Rs 41,300 from him. He is said to be an AIADMK functionary from Pettaivaithalai in Tiruchy. During the interrogation, the officials found that the money Irulan possessed was now-defunct Rs 500 notes meant for distribution among voters in the Thanjavur assembly segment, which goes for polls on November 19. Later, the flying squad members handed over Irulan and the cash seized to the Tamil University police. The police have registered a case and inquiry is on. In another incident, the Static Surveillance team led by Krishnamurthy found Rs 2.5 lakh transported in a car during a vehicle check at Thanjavur bypass road near Pattukkottai branch road. Ishad Ahamed (40) of Tiruchy who was in the car reportedly told the team that the money was meant for distribution of wages to the workers engaged in a construction in Nagappattinam. Since there were no accompanying documents, the cash was seized and deposited in Taluk treasury.

DMDK candidate for Aravakurichi, M Muthu, on Wednesday submitted a petition to the Returning Officer to take action against AIADMK and DMK candidates for reportedly distributing money for voters in the segment and appealed to cancel the election. Muthu along with the party’s headquarters secretary Parthasrathy approached the Returning Officer Sybudeen at around 11 am and submitted the petition in which Muthu has said that people told him during campaigns that the AIADMK had distributed Rs 2,000 while DMK paid Rs 1,000 for each vote. The Returning officer who received the petition assured him of an inspection and immeditate action. Muthu had also submitted the similar petition with the expenditure observer.

Pattali Makkal Katchi on Wednesday appealed to the Election Commission of India to postpone the Assembly elections in Aravakurichi, Thanjavur and Tirupparankundram over largescale cash distribution to voters by Dravidian parties. In a letter to ECI, PMK leader G K Mani requested the deferment of polls in the three Assembly constituencies due to the blatant violation of model code of conduct in force by AIADMK and DMK. The letter stated, “As I am camping here in these constituencies for the past 10 days to campaign on behalf of the candidates belonging to PMK, I have noticed cadre from the ruling AIADMK and the DMK distributing cash for votes.” He also requested the ECI to disqualify the candidatures of both AIADMK and DMK candidates contesting in all three constituencies. He said that the candidates brought disgrace to the constituencies where the Assembly election was cancelled as EC officials couldn’t contain the free flow of money to voters.